NORTH ARM
Releases Sophomore Album
LET LOVE THROUGH
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North Arm‘S prolific output is about to deepen today with the release of a new record LET LOVE THROUGH, which Smith says is “a blend of past influences and music I’ve been listening to more recently.” A little heavier, a little pacy and a whole lot more direct, the sophomore album from North Arm, LET LOVE THROUGH is out now.
Purchase LET LOVE THROUGH HERE
“If the first record was a snapchat of an 8-year-old ranga on a BMX, this second record is…a bit more of a troubled teenager.” – NORTH ARM
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Although Roderick Smith forms the backbone of North Arm, on LET LOVE THROUGH, Melbourne-based artist Robin Waters (Eves the Behaviour, Darling James, Ella Hooper) and ARIA nominated producer J. Walker (aka Machine Translations) both played a part in the creation of the album. Smith says “collaboration introduces interruptive forces to shake you out of your mindset, and helps you and the music grow into a more truthful space. I’ve been pushed to work harder and I think it shows.”
Earlier this month, North Arm released a video for his upbeat single “I’m Awake”, which pays homage to the Spike Jonze take for the skate brand Girl. Check out the clip for “I’m Awake” below.
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It’s no surprise that Smith’s guitar melodies, which combine dreamy, hazy soundscapes punctured with deceptively irresistible grooves, truly define his trademark sound. After discovering an old dusty guitar in his sister’s cupboard at age 11, the old guitar quickly became a regular fixture. “I used to strum this shitty nylon string guitar all the time. Eventually, I learned how to play a few chords and figured out some stuff. I was a pretty dorky kid, so the guitar was a great way for me to handle being a late bloomer.”
Smith put his first band together when he was 16 before returning to Newcastle and co-founding Firekites. Now based in Sydney, the past few years has seen him focus on North Arm, releasing two EPs and a critically acclaimed self-titled album in 2015. At times, North Arm conjures the dreamy likes of Wild Nothing or DIIV with a slight tinge of Boards of Canada. At others, he sharpens the pencil with crisp sounds reminiscent of The Whitest Boy Alive or Broken Social Scene.
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Testimonials
“North Arm has set a new precedent in soaring indie-rock…Highly stylised and purely melancholic, North Arm devises music that’s built for long, solo walks or that sweet 11pmsingalong section of a house party.” – AAA Backstage
“Many bands try to achieve this perfect mix of styles only to end up with a muddled mess… North Arm have managed to do this expertly”. – Happy Magazine
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